Outlet lock for gasoline tanks



Oct. 16, 1928.

. 1,687,814 R. G. WESTBROOK ET AL OILET LOCK FOR GASOLINE TANKS Filed Sept. 27, 1926 2s y 'lo 9 5 Y, `s

, v gcnm-toil ROBERT G. wESTBRooK. FIG.' Z STEPHEN A BRo wN.

Patented Oct. 16, 1928.

UNITED STAT-Es PATENT oFFlcE.

OUTLET LOOK FOB GASOLINE TANKS.

applicati@ mea september a7, 192e; -serial No. 138,086.

This invention has general reference to means for controlling the withdrawal of the 'Y contents of containers, and relates more particularly 'to such means which is especlally adapted for usewith the fuel tanks of motor vehicles.

A primary object of the present invention is lto produce mechanism by which communication `with the interior of a tank or other container, for the withdrawal of the contents thereof, through either the filling opening or the outlet opening, may be controlled by means located within the tank and adaptedl to besecured against unauthorized operation, as by being locked.

AV further object is to provide in con,- nection with such mechanism an improved form of locking means which may be located entirely withink the tank, and'be adapted for t0 operatlon with a key from outside the tank.

And a still further object is to provide such locking means, which shall be operable to controlsimultaneously access to the interior of thetank through the filling opening e6 tnd faccess thereto through the draw-off out- The means by which the foregoing and other objects ,are accomplished by our invention, and the manner of their accomplisha0 ment, readily will be understood from the following description on reference to the accompanin drawings, which depict a preferred em iment of the-invention,`and in which:v

Fig. 1 is a section of a portionr of a tank, taken substantially on alinepassing through the center of the filling cap opening, and that of an outlet opening located at the bot-tom of the tank.

Fig. 2 is a viewv of the lillino'cap and the parts associated therewith,ha1 y in top plan, s

and half in horizontal section on a line passing above the tumblers of the lockingvmechanism.

Fig)` 3 is an enlarged detail view o f the lower end of the valve-stem and the 'valve by which the outlet opening is controlled.

' As shown inthe drawings. in whichcorresponding parts are identified by 'like reference characters throughout the several views.I

the tank, has a -top wall 5 and a bottom wall 6, the lling opening being at the top of the tank, and the outlet or draw-off opening being at, the bottom. In the filling opening is placed the usual interiorly-threaded bushing 7 into which the filling cap 8 is secured,A

the flange 9 of said bushing being welded or otherwise permanently .secured to the top of the tank and the head 10 of they filling ca preferably being hexagonal or of other po ygonal configuration, to facilitate placin or removing it with a wrench or other too At the center of the filling cap, a hollow v sleeve 11 passes through the top of said cap and is permanently secured thereto, as by welding,u said sleeve being interiorly screw-threaded for the reception of a'threaded shoulder 12, whichu forms part of or is rigidly secured to fa valve-stem 13 passingl loosel through said sleeve axially thereof, said sleeve being screw-threaded at its outer end and having acap 14 thereon containing packing material 15. At the upper end of the valve lstem 13 is secured a, hand-wheel 16 by which said stem may be turned. The outlet opening of the tank has ,a bushin 17 therein, the flange 18 of which lis wel ed or otherwise permanently secured to the bottom of the tank, said bushing having a side opening therein which communicates with 4a pipe 19 through which the contents'of the tank pass therefrom, and a clean-out opening at the outer end of said bushing being normally closed by a screwlug 20. The innerv face of thebushing 17 orms a seat for a conical valve 21 which is carried by the valve-stem- 13 at the lower end thereof, thecylin'drical shank 22 of ysaidvalve being slidable in an opening extending axially ofthe stem andsaid shank having areduced cylindrical portion 23, over which 'is placed a coiled spring 24, one end of which bears against the inner face of the shank 22, while its other endbears against the top of the opening vin the spindle 13. The shank 22 has aslot 25l in one side thereof, and the innerv end of a screw 26 is entered in said slot to limit movement of the valve 21 relativeto its stem 13.

' At the underside ofthe filler cap 8. alongthe slot for tumbler 31 being extended Wh l through the side wall of the sleeve 11. The

arrangement of said tumblers and said slots is such that the tumblers are held against movement toward or away from the top of the tank, and thewidth of the extension slot provided for tumbler' 30 in the side wall of the cap 8, and that of the extension slot provided for tumbler 31 in the side wall of the sleeve 11', is such asto allow considerable clearance for the tumblers, so as to avoid the necessity for extremely accurate sidewise registration of the tumblers with the respective ones of said extension slots. At one side of each of the slots provided in the block 27 for they tumblers 30 and 31, is a curved flat spring 32, the convex surface of which bears against the4 side of the tumbler, and one end of'which is secured to the block at the side of the slot, while its other end is free to move slidably when the curved portion of the spring is deflected in either direction. The end of the tumbler 31 which is directed toward the valve-stem 13, is bevelled so as to permit said end to be moved close to said valve-stem 011` a line eccentric to the axis thereof.- The tumblers 30 and 31 are provided with slots for the reception of a key 33 by which said tumblers are simultaneously movable slidably to or away from locldng position,'said key being inserted through the slot 29 at the router end of the sleeve 28.

From the foregoing description the operation of our improved locking mechanism readily will bev understood. To prevent withdrawal of the contents of the tank, either through the lling opening or through the outlet opening, the hand wheel 16 is turned clockwise to screw the valve-stem 13 downward, and thus to seat the valve 21 andl close the outlet opening in the bushing 17. By means of the key 33 the tumblers 30 and 31 are then moved simultaneously to locking position, with tumbler 30 engaged in the extension slot in the side wall of the cap 8 and tumbler 31 engaged with' the top of, the threaded shoulder 12 of valve-stem 13.

en in said positions, said tumblers prevent either upward movement of the valvestem 13 to unseat the valve 21, or the unscrewing of the cap 8 to remove it from the filling opening. The slidable movement provided for the valve 21relative to its stem- 22, under action of the spring'24, insures that said valve will be tightly seated until, following movement of the locking tumblers by the key 33, the valve-stem 13 is retracted by contra-clockwise turning of the handwheel 16. The principal function of the flat springs 32 Yis to prevent unintended movement of'the locking tumblers, such as might result from vibration or jarring of the tan t.

Various modifications of minor details of the improvements disclosed herein doubtless readily will suggest themselves to those skilled in this art, but such modications fall within the scope of our inventive rights, and our invention is not to be construed as being limited to any details not specifically set out in the claim.

Having thus fully described the invention,

and seek to secure by whatwe claim as new, Letters Patent, is

A container having opposed inlet and outlet openings, a removable closure member for .the inlet opening, a rigid valve stem carried by the inlet opening closure member and extending into proximity to the outlet opening, a valve yieldingly supported by the i stem for closing the outlet opening, and means for simultaneously locking the valve stem and inlet /closure when theI valve is seated. In testimony whereof we aix our signatures.

.ROBERT G. wEsTBRooK.

STEPHEN A. BROWN. 

